The month of May is Stroke Awareness Month, marking a medical crisis that is the third most common cause of death in Israel, and the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.
Each year, some 18,000 people in Israel experience a stroke, but only 40 percent receive advanced disability-preventing treatments within the available time window.
The main risk factor for stroke in Israel is high blood pressure.
Stroke is the #1 cause of adult disability in the US, costing America nearly $36.5 billion each year. There are more than seven million stroke survivors living in the US, and two-thirds of them are disabled.
Moreover, around 25 percent of those who recover from a first stroke are likely to have another one within five years.
In Israel, the incidence of stroke dropped in 2020 by about 870 cases, compared to the year prior. The average age of occurrence was 71.7 years old.
About 18 percent of patients were under age 60 and 31 percent were older than 80, according to data from patients hospitalized in 2020 at 27 general Israeli medical centers.
Men are more likely to experience a stroke than women in Israel: in 2020, 56.4 percent of stroke patients were men. The average age at the time of the incident was statistically significantly younger in men compared to women, and in Arabs compared to Jews.
Although one might think strokes only affect older people, that’s not true, according to Dr. Marc Alain Babi, a neurocritical care specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.
“Stroke is not just a disease that affects the elderly. Although the risk of stroke does increase as we get older, stroke can affect people of all ages. Among young adults, we’re seeing an increase in both the incidence and serious complications of stroke,” Babi says.
Nearly 25 percent of strokes occur under the age of 65, with the risk doubling each decade after age 55, according to the Stroke Awareness Foundation.
The physician recommends memorizing the acronym BE FAST to learn how to help someone who might be affected. BE FAST stands for Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech and Time.
If someone is experiencing loss of balance, vision changes, facial dropping, arm weakness and/or trouble speaking, get help immediately.
The Israeli Health Ministry emphasizes the importance of arriving to the hospital by ambulance, as this increases the chance of arriving quickly and in the appropriate time window to receive treatment to restore blood flow (thrombolyc or cerebral catheterization), to save lives and minimalize damage.
“There are modifiable risk factors for stroke that we can control, including managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes as well as not smoking,” Babi says. He adds that genetics also play a role – so it’s important to review family history with your family physician.
“Don’t wait for the signs to disappear, and do not let the victim go unescorted to the hospital,” Israel’s Health Ministry emphasizes. “The earlier the medical treatment, the better the chance of preventing disability or death caused by the stroke.”
The Israel Neurological Association provides the following list of stroke warning signs:
• Sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech
• Sudden loss of balance or lack of coordination
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause
The ministry adds that even if the above symptoms are transient and resolve by themselves, it is important to seek urgent medical help to prevent exacerbation.
